Microtune Introduces Receiver Chip For Worldwide Digital TV Markets

New RF-to-Baseband IC Delivers Uncompromised TV Receiver Performance at Compelling Price Point; New Chip Enables Manufacturers to Deploy a Smaller, Higher-Performance and More Cost-Effective Receiver in Global Designs for the Next Generation of Thinner, Lighter, Multi-Functional TVs

PLANO, Texas — Microtune®, Inc. (NASDAQ: TUNE) today introduces a world-standard radio frequency (RF)-to-baseband IC, based on a new, highly integrated silicon architecture, that delivers uncompromised TV receiver performance at a compelling new price point. The MT3141 single chip enables TV manufacturers to use a smaller, higher-performance and more cost-effective receiver across their next-generation global digital television designs. Using Microtune’s MT3141, manufacturers can build thinner, lighter digital TVs that deliver premium performance for all brands, models, price points and screen sizes.

Based on Microtune’s groundbreaking MicroCeiver™ architecture, the MT3141 is:

• A miniaturized RF-to-baseband single chip that combines the functions of an RF tuner, analog TV demodulator, intermediate frequency (IF) filters and amplifiers in a tiny 6 mm x 6 mm IC.
• The only receiver engineered to exceed the RF performance requirements of worldwide analog/digital broadcast and cable standards*, including those for China’s new CTTB (also known as DTMB or DMB-T) and Europe’s next-generation DVB-T2 requirements.
• Tiny enough for the lightest ‘picture on a wall’ TVs, but packs the performance to put a superb TV picture on the biggest wide screen.

At $2.00 in high volumes, the MT3141 breaks through price, performance and size barriers to enable TV manufacturers finally to deploy an advanced silicon receiver in an unified high-quality front-end across all next-generation television platforms.

“Faced with increasing complexity, shrinking ASPs, divergent broadcast standards, and the need to differentiate, TV manufacturers have been looking for a new class of world-standard electronics,” said James A. Fontaine, President and CEO of Microtune. “Yet across all these factors, manufacturers and consumers are driven by TV picture quality. With our MT3141, manufacturers can drive world-class receiver performance into global TVs, while reducing their footprint, design effort and manufacturing costs.”

Mr. Fontaine added, “Our highly integrated receiver provides the compelling price/performance to finally fuel the TV industry migration from traditional can tuners to silicon solutions, while taking digital TV into the future.”

Unmatched Performance Based On Microceiver™ Architecture

Based on new MicroCeiver technology, the MT3141 is a complete RF analog and digital signal processing system in a single chip. It fuses RF tuner, analog video demodulation, filter and amplifier capabilities together, erasing the distinctions across these functional boundaries. The MT3141 employs internal techniques and proprietary algorithms to continuously update information about signal conditions across the signal path, optimizing performance across the entire receiver chain.

Key performance metrics include:

• Typical noise figure: 3 dB
• Video signal to noise ratio: greater than 60 dB
• Typical sensitivity ATSC: -88 dBm
• DVB-T desired to undesired signal: exceeds NorDig 2.1 specifications by greater than 10 dB

The MT3141 receiver delivers excellent sensitivity and superior adjacent channel rejection, technical metrics that directly translate into an increase in digital TV signal coverage for broadcasters and high-quality, stable TV reception for TV viewers.

MT3141 Receiver: Dramatic Integration And Cost Reduction

A single chip, the MT3141 receives all frequencies in the 44 MHz to 1.0 GHz range. It converts a selected channel either to a low-IF or to a standard IF between 4 MHz and 57 MHz, and it outputs filtered audio (SIF) and baseband video (CVBS) signals. It is characterized by a very high level of integration which virtually eliminates an external bill of materials.

The MT3141 complies with worldwide broadcast standards* and is engineered to exceed all performance requirements published for them, including those for legacy analog TV reception (NTSC, PAL and SECAM analog television signals for off-air and cable). The transition to digital broadcast around the world is expected to continue through at least 2018. For more technical information about the MT3141, please read the MT3141 Product Brief.

* Background Information: MT3141 Complies With Worldwide Broadcast Standards:

Price and availability

Offered in a 6.0 mm x 6.0 mm 40-pin QFN package, the MT3141 tuner is available now to early access customers and is priced at $2.00 in high volume. To simplify evaluation and design for qualified customers, Microtune offers a MicroCeiver MT3141 evaluation board and reference design.